vs 

796 

H7 

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UC-NRLF 


B    4    SOL,   b?D 


o 


Q 
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DEC  2 


S1921 


=■ 


HONGKONG 


% 


CHINA 


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Published  by 

BUREAU  OF  NAVIGATION 

under  authority  of  the 

Secretary  of  the  Navy 


Contents 

Page 
Introduction    ---------------9 

England  in  China  -------------  13 

Junks  and  Sampans         .-.----------15 

A  City  of  Stairs  --------------  18 

The  Native  Quarter ---22 

Poppies  and  Pipes        -------------         26 

The  Century  Plant ------28 

Seats  of  Learning         -------------         29 

Chinese  Movie  Fans        .------------32 

On  Victoria  Peak  -------------  33 

A  Trip  to  Kowloon  --------------35 

Money  and  Postage     -------------         36 

The  Typhoon  Area  --------------37 


458664 

Five 


Foreword 


INCE  warships  flying  the  American  flag  have  made  the  world 
of  waters  their  cruising  grounds  and  since  they  carry  with 
them  scores  of  thousands  of  seagoing  Americans,  the  personal 
interest  of  the  Nation  in  ports,  far  and  near,  has  necessarily 
increased  in  recent  years. 

In  order  to  furnish  valuable  information  to  officers  and 
enlisted  men  of  the  Navy  who  visit  these  foreign  countries — 
as  well  as  to  other  travelers  on  official  business — the  Bureau 
of  Navigation  is  preparing  individual  guidebooks  on  the  principal  ports 
in  all  quarters  of  the  globe. 

Although  every  effort  has  been  made  to  include  accurate  information 
on  most  important  subjects  connected  with  this  port,  it  is  realized  that 
some  important  facts  may  have  been  omitted  and  that  certain  details  may 
be  inaccurate.  Any  information  concerning  omissions  or  inaccuracies, 
addressed  to  Guidebook  Editor,  Bureau  of  Navigation,  will  be  appreciated. 
The  information  will  be  incorporated  into  revised  editions. 

Grateful  acknowledgment  is  made  to  the  National  Geographic  Society 
for  its  suggestions,  both  as  to  editorial  policy  and  the  interesting  details 
concerning  Hongkong  and  its  environs. 

Acknowledgment  is  made  to  Underwood  &  Underwood  for  the  following 
photographs,  which  are  copyrighted. 


Seven 


Introduction 


OR  long  the  home  of  Chinese  pirates — whose  junks  prowled 
the  yellow  reaches  of  the  Canton  River  and  the  South 
China  Sea  in  constant  search  for  prey — the  Island  of 
Hongkong  during  the  last  half  century  has  developed  into 
an  important  stronghold  of  commerce  in  the  Far  East. 
Hongkong  occupies  a  strategic  position  on  the  high- 
way of  world  trade,  being  near  the  important  Chinese 
markets  and  about  600  miles  from  Manila,  1 ,000  miles  from 
Nagasaki,  and  6,000  miles  from  San  Francisco.  In  addition  to  being  a  trade 
center,  Hongkong  is  a  naval  station  and  the  site  of  large  shipyards  and  dry 
docks  of  the  most  modern  type. 

The  port  itself  is  located  on  an  island  less  than  half  the  size  of  Staten 
Island,  N.  Y.,  and  separated  from  the  mainland  by  a  narrow  channel.  The 
beauty  of  Hongkong  has  become  almost  a  tradition  among  the  Chinese,  who, 
with  true  celestial  extravagance  of  speech,  have  given  the  port  the  name  of 
Heung-Kong,  or  Fragrant  Streams  and  Good  Harbor.  Hongkong  is  a 
derivative  of  the  Chinese  name  and  is  generally  used,  although  the  official 
name  of  the  city  is  Victoria — called  so  in  honor  of  the  English  queen. 


Nine 


, , :  '  ■  Despite  the  fact  that  Hongkong  has  been  modernized  by  the  British 
and  is  hardly  typical  of  China,  there  are  still  in  existence  on  the  island  many 
reminders  of  the  old  Chinese  regime,  and  these  shadows  of  oriental  life,  dif- 
fused with  the  subtle  fascination  the  East  of  to-day  almost  invariably  holds 
for  the  stranger,  make  the  island  a  favorite  haunt  of  travelers  from  the  other 
side  of  the  world. 

Hongkong  represents  the  cosmopolitan  East  almost  as  truly  as  New 
York  represents  the  cosmopolitan  West,  and  the  tourist  finds  a  bewildering 
variety  of  races  on  which  to  feast  his  eyes  and  a  surprising  assortment  of 
languages  with  which  to  deafen  his  ears  when  he  lands  in  the  port  and 
wanders  through  the  city  of  the  Fragrant  Streams  and  Good  Harbor. 

There  are  blond  Anglo-Saxons  and  other  whites,  dusky  Hindoos  from 
India,  and  black-haired  Malays;  stolid  Chinese  merchant  princes,  and  mus- 
cular slant-eyed  coolies  in  conical  straw  hats;  smiling  Japanese,  and  wander- 
ers from  the  islands  of  the  southern  Pacific  Ocean;  who,  with  a  human  froth 
composed  of  beach  combers — the  off-scourings  of  the  seven  seas,  make  up 
the  population  of  Hongkong. 

The  traveler  visiting  Hongkong  during  the  dry  season  is  fortunate,  for 
then  he  may  explore  the  city  of  Victoria  and  the  remainder  of  the  island  with 
comparative  comfort;  but  if  he  arrives  in  this  "Eastern  Gibraltar"  during 


Ten 


the  wet  season,  he  may  as  well  prepare  for  gray  clouds  in  the  skies  and  frequent 
cloudbursts,  for  that  is  what  he  will  probably  encounter.  Northerners  who 
have  spent  a  portion  of  their  time  in  the  tropics  have  a  good  idea  of  what 
the  wet  season  means  and  have  passed  days  and  weeks  in  continual  rain- 
storms, whose  persistence  creates  the  impression  that  the  seas  have  usurped 
the  position  of  the  skies  and  are  busily  pouring  their  waters  back  on  the 
earth. 

In  Hongkong  the  wet  season  is  more  rainy  by  far  than  in  many  other 
portions  of  the  tropics  and  subtropics,  and  when  the  downpour  starts  it 
usually  continues  through  the  entire  24  hours  of  the  day.  The  natives  are 
accustomed  to  rain,  however,  and  the  visitor  soon  finds  that  he  is  able  to 
adapt  himself  to  prevailing  conditions  and  walks  around  in  showers  that 
would  keep  him  indoors  were  he  in  his  own  country. 

And  besides,  when  the  rains  have  ceased,  the  island  is  more  enchanting 
than  the  Westerner  can  imagine  and  the  plants  and  palm  trees  clothe  them- 
selves in  bright-green  garb  and  the  subtropical  flowers  are  prodigal  of  their 
delicate  beauty  and  sweet  odors.  Then  Hongkong  is  at  its  best  and  the 
traveler  will  be  repaid  for  his  patience  on  the  journey  to  the  island  by  the 
sights  he  will  see  and  the  jaunts  he  will  take  on  his  visit  to  the  city  of  the 
Fragrant  Streams  and  Good  Harbor. 


h'/m  a 


HONGKONG 


ENGLAND  IN  CHINA 

ROFESSOR  Middleton 
Smith  of  Hongkong  Uni- 
versity gives  the  following 
brief  review  of  how  the 
island  became  a  part  of  the 
vast  possessions  of  the 
===^A    V  British   Empire: 

"Eighty  years  ago  there 
was  just  a  little  island — just  a  barren  rock — 
at  the  mouth  of  the  Canton  River,  which  was 
the  home  of  pirates,  a  center  of  moral  and 
physical  disease.  There  were  only  about 
5,000  inhabitants,  many  of  them  living  in  the 
harbor  on  their  pirate  junks  in  order  to  escape 
the  fevers  so  mysteriously  contracted  ashore. 
After  much  hesitation,  the  British  Govern- 
ment in  1 84 1  decided  to  accept  the  sugges- 
tion of  gallant  Captain  Elliott,  R.  N.,  and 
the  Union  Jack  was  unfurled  on  the  island. 
To-day  there  are  nearly  a  million  law-abiding 
citizens  where  in  the  days  before  Captain 
Elliott  and  his  followers  there  was  only  a  nest 
of  pirates.  The  barren  rock  is  now  clothed 
with  beautiful  foliage;  the  Anglo-Saxon 
has  reclaimed  land  from  the  seas  and  built 
statelv    habitations    of  reinforced    concrete 


Approaching  Hongkong 

where  there  were  only  a  few  huts.  He  has 
created  on  a  little  island,  10  miles  long  and 
one-half  mile  wide,  a  center  of  modern  civ- 
ilization which  is  a  pattern  for  the  huge 
nation  of  400,000,000  people,  who  have  this 
object  lesson  at  their  gate." 

Thirteen 


HONGKONG 


Chinese  Junk 

Hongkong,  however,  was  not  won  with- 
out a  struggle  centering  about  the  Opium 
War  of  1840.  After  defeating  the  Chinese, 
Great  Britain  acquired  the  island  of  Hong- 
kong and,  in  addition,  obtained  the  right 
to  trade  in  five  other  Chinese  ports — a  step 
in  the  formulation  of  the  "open-door"  pol- 
icy in  the  Far  East.     France  and  England 

Fourteen 


obtained  further  trade  privileges  and  toler- 
ance for  the  Christian  religion  from  the 
Chinese  and  a  few  years  later,  in  i860,  the 
peninsula  of  Kowloon,  opposite  Hongkong 
island,  was  ceded  to  Great  Britain. 

Territorial  aggressions  by  foreign  pow- 
ers came  upon  China  from  many  quarters 
during  the  last  decade  of  the  nineteenth 
century.  Japan  waged  a  successful  war 
against  the  Chinese  and  gained  Formosa 
and  control  of  the  Liaotung  Peninsula;  but 
Russia,  Germany,  and  France  interfered  and 
prevented  Japan  from  holding  her  gain. 
The  German  ex-kaiser's  notorious  "mailed 
fist"  order  to  his  military  forces  in  China 
started  a  general  movement  among  the  na- 
tions for  concessions,  and  the  Boxers  organ- 
ized their  revolt.  The  uprising  was  put 
down  and  an  allied  armv  made  up  of  Ameri- 
can, British,  French,  Russian,  and  Japan- 
ese troops  was  successful  in  its  historic 
march  to  relieve  the  legations  at  Peking. 

The  action  of  the  United  States  in  dis- 
posing of  her  share  of  the  indemnity  exacted 
by  the  foreign  governments  for  the  damage 
wrought  by  the  Boxers  tended  to  strengthen 
the  growing  bonds  of  friendship  between  the 
United  States  and  China.     After  all  private 


HONGKONG 


claims  had  been  paid,  the  United  States 
set  aside  the  balance  of  the  American  por- 
tion of  the  indemnity  to  pay  for  the  educa- 
tion of  young  Chinese  students  in  American 
universities.  The  fund  has  sufficed  to  keep 
j $  or  ioo  students,  including  a  few  women, 
in  American  educational  institutions. 
When  one  group  of  students  completes  its 
education,  another  travels  from  China  to 
the  United  States.  The  knowledge  of  west- 
ern civilization  acquired  by  the  students  is 
said  to  have  contributed  greatly  to  the  suc- 
cess of  the  revolution  in  China  whereby  the 
Manchu  dynasty  was  overthrown  and  a 
republic  established. 

JUNKS  AND  SAMPANS 

ONGKONG  has  one  of  the 
finest  harbors  in  the  world, 
embracing  an  area  of  10 
square  miles,  with  anchor- 
age for  scores  of  warships, 
passenger  liners,  merchant- 
men, and  hundreds  of  their 
smaller      cousins — the 

Chinese  junks  and  sampans. 

The     waters     of     the     harbor     literally 

swarm  at  times  with  the  native  craft,  and 


*?wu 


Homes  of  the  "Floating  Population" 

the  singsong  voices  of  their  crews,  the  creak 
of  rudders,  and  the  rustle  of  their  grass  sails 
mingle  with  the  scream  of  sirens,  the  deep- 
throated  bellow  of  whistles,  and  the  lapping 
of  the  water  against  the  beach  and  wharves 
to  form  a  sort  of  symphony  of  the  sea. 

Fifteen 


HONGKONG 


The  junk  is  peculiarly  a  Chinese  type  of 
ship  and  the  first  sight  of  one  of  the  un- 
wieldy tubs  is  a  source  of  amazement  to  the 
American  who  has  been  accustomed  to  see- 
ing the  trim,  shapelv  craft  of  his  own  and 
other  Western  countries. 

si  it,,  n 


The  hull  of  the  junk  seems  to  be  fash- 
ioned awkwardly  and  has  a  clumsy  air  sug- 
gesting a  school  boy  in  a  suit  several  sizes 
too  small  for  him.  The  stern  is  high  and 
the  bow  low,  the  lines  being  rather  generous 
above  water.  The  underwater  body, 
though,  is  often  finely  designed,  and  while 
the  effect  of  the  junk  as  a  whole  is  ungrace- 
ful, it  meets  heavy  seas  with  ease  and  rides 
more  comfortably  than  many  a  prettier 
craft. 

Nearly  all  the  junks  have  lug  sails  made 
of  grass  matting  and  in  some  instances 
coarse  cloth  stretched  on  bamboo  frames. 
Many  of  the  junks  have  great  eyes  painted 
on  the  bows.  The  Chinese  solemnly  ex- 
plain that  the  eyes  are  there  so  the  junks 
can  see  where  they  are  going  and  the  trav- 
eler is  inclined  to  laugh  at  the  whimsical 
custom  until  he  remembers  that  not  so 
many  years  ago  the  ships  on  his  own  side 
of  the  world  mounted  figureheads  to  guide 
them  on  their  voyages. 

Thousands  of  the  natives  of  Hongkong 
live  on  crude  little  boats  called  sampans, 
or  "slipper  boats,"  so  called  because  they 
resemble  the  Chinese  foot-gear.  Many  fam- 
ilies  are    born    and    live    and    die   on    their 


HONGKONG 


sampans  without  ever  setting  foot  on  shore, 
and  so  Hongkong,  as  well  as  other  Chinese 
ports  and  river  cities,  can  be  said  to  have  a 
"floating  population" — in  the  most  literal 
sense  of  the  word.  The  sampans  range 
from  15  to  60  feet  in  length,  and  pigs, 
chickens,  and  vegetables  are  raised  on  them, 
as  well  as  families. 

Other  curiosities  in  the  harbor  of  Hong- 
kong are  the  "flower  boats,"  anchored, 
usually,  in  rows  near  the  shore.  These 
boats  are  the  popular  places  of  recreation 
for  the  natives — who  go  "a-sea"  instead  of 
"ashore"  on  their  pleasure  trips.  The 
"  flower  boats"  are  gaudily  furnished  within, 
being  decorated  with  carved  and  gilded 
woodwork,  lined  with  mirrors,  and  strewn 
with  flowers,  and  brilliantly  lighted  at 
night  with  lamps  and  Chinese  lanterns. 

Hongkong  harbor  appears  to  be  en- 
tirely landlocked  with  hills  rising  on  all 
sides  above  the  waters  of  the  bay,  and  the 
traveler  whose  ship  navigates  the  winding 
channel  and  drops  anchor  can  imagine  him- 
self, without  much  difficulty,  in  an  inland 
sea  or  lake  and  finds  time  to  wonder  how 
he  passed  the  hills  between  the  port  and 
the  China  Sea. 


If  the  stranger  arrives  at  Hongkong  in 
the  rainy  season,  he  will  very  probably  be 
required  to  view  the  terraced  city  through  a 
misty  curtain  of  rain  and  fog;  but  if  he 
reaches  the  port  in  the  pleasant  season,  he 
will  find  Hongkong  in  gala  subtropical  garb 

Ni  n  1,  ft;  11 


HONGKONG 


and  as  beautiful  as  Naples  or  any  of  the 
other  Mediterranean  harbors  nestling  on 
the  shores  of  Italy. 

A  portion  of  Hongkong  seems  to  be 
bathing  in  the  waters  of  the  harbor,  and 
the  remainder  rises  in  series  of  shelves  to 
Victoria  Peak,  1,200  feet  high,  and  standing 
some  distance  from  the  harbor.  The  city 
of  Victoria  rests  on  the  hillside  between  the 
peak  and  the  harbor. 

A  CITY  OF  STAIRS 

ICTORIA,  were  it  to  be  lifted 
bodily  from  the  waters  of 
the  South  China  Sea  and 
placed  somewhere  in  the 
United  States  or  Europe, 
would  hardly  prove  a  popu- 
lar place  of  residence — for 
the  topography  of  the  city 
usually  prevents  the  use  of  automobiles  or 
horse-drawn  carriages. 

The  streets  are  either  long  stretches  of 
stairs  ascending  to  the  "Peak" — as  the  hill 
is  called  by  the  Europeans  in  Hongkong — 
or  winding  shelves  on  the  slopes,  and  auto- 
mobiles and  carriages  often  come  to  grief 
in  one  way  or  another  while  touring  the  city. 

Eighteen 


Since  occidental  conveyances  are  usually 
impracticable  in  Victoria,  the  Orient  comes 
to  the  rescue,  and  jinrikishas  and  sedan 
chairs  are  used  extensively  by  the  residents, 
whether  they  be  stout  Chinese  mandarins, 
sleek  half-castes,  or  Englishmen  on  their 
way   to   tea,   or  dinner,  or  business.     The 


HONGKONG 


customary  charge  for  sedan  chairs  is  30 
cents  an  hour,  or  $1.75  a  day,  for  chairs 
with  two  coolies  per  chair,  or  just  double 
this  rate  for  chairs  of  four  coolies  per  chair. 
The  charge  for  jinrikishas  varies  consider- 
ably, but  is  always  less  than  the  rates  for 
sedan  chairs. 


High  Caste  Lady  in  Sedan  Chair 

Several  of  the  principal  streets  of  Hong- 
kong are  arranged  in  arcades  so  that,  in  the 
rainy  season  especially,  the  shoppers  can 
parade  without  going  into  the  open  except 
at  street  corners.  Many  tempting  curios 
are  on  sale  in  the  various  stores  and  shops, 
but  the  stranger,  if  he  intends  to  visit  Chi- 
nese cities  on  the  continent,  should  delay 

Nineteen 


HONGKONG 


Villas  on  the  Peak 

making  purchases  until  then,  for  the  Hong- 
kong merchants  seek  the  trade,  chiefly,  of 
passengers  from  visiting  steamers  who  are 
satisfied  with  inferior  curios  at  much  higher 
prices  than  those  charged  in  the  inland 
cities  of  China. 

The  English  have  done  their  best  to 
make  Hongkong  as  much  like  home  as  pos- 
sible, and  one  of  their  ways  of  doing  so  is  to 

Twenty 


name  many  of  the  streets  after  those  in 
"Merrie  England."  Among  the  thorough- 
fares are  several  reminding  the  visitor  of 
London  rather  than  of  Hongkong,  such  as 
Chancery  Lane,  Bonham  Strand,  Queen 
Victoria  Street,  Albert  Road,  and  Aberdeen 
Street. 

Connaught  Road,  generally  known  as 
"Praya"  or  "Beach  Road,"  is  the  principal 
street,  or  rather  boulevard,  in  Hongkong. 
The  road  winds  leisurely  along  the  water 
front  for  a  distance  of  5  miles  or  more,  and 
is  a  jaunting  place  on  pleasant  days  for  the 
foreign  residents.  ' '  Praya ' '  is  one  of  several 
old  names  that  have  clung  to  landmarks  in 
and  around  Hongkong  since  the  Portuguese 
helped  the  Chinese  in  their  expeditions 
against  pirates  before  the  coming  of  the 
British. 

Des  Vaux  Road,  which  runs  parallel 
with  and  slightly  above  Connaught  Road,  is 
the  shopping  center  of  Hongkong  and  one  of 
the  few  streets  having  a  trolley  line  along 
its  entire  length. 

Queen's  Road  is  the  next  thoroughfare 
above  Des  Yaux  Road  and  runs  between 
some  of  the  principal  buildings,  often  being 
as    crowded    as    Broadway — but    crowded 


HONGKONG 


with  sedan  chairs  and  jinrikishas  instead  of 
automobiles. 

The  visitor,  ascending  the  stair  streets  to 
Queen's  Road,  finds  the  British  Navy  Yards, 
Murray  Barracks,  the  Parade  Grounds,  the 
Law  Courts,  the  City  Hall,  and  a  spacious 
cricket  field  standing  along  the  road. 

The  "national  capitol"  of  Hongkong  is 
the  Government  House,  which  faces  the 
Upper  Albert  Road  at  about  the  center  of 
the  city,  and  is  surrounded  by  extensive 
grounds  and  gardens.  The  port  and  islands 
are  ruled  by  a  colonial  governor,  assisted  by 
an  executive  council  of  seven  members,  and 
also  a  legislative  council  of  seven  persons 
in  addition  to  two  Chinese  who  hold  unoffi- 
cial positions  in  the  government.  The 
commanders  of  the  naval  and  military 
forces  hold  the  most  important  positions  in 
the  legislative  and  executive  councils. 

Other  public  offices  and  buildings  in  Hong- 
kong are  as  follows:  Colonial  Secretariat, 
Albert  Road;  Secretariat  for  Chinese  Affairs, 
New  Post  Office  Building;  Sailors'  Home, 
Des  Vaux  Road  West;  Supreme  Court, 
New  Law  Courts;  Police  Magistrates'  Court, 
Arbuthnot  Road ;  Civil  Hospital,  West  Point; 
Lunatic    Asylum,    West    Point;    Botanical 


High  Caste  Lady's  Feet 

and  Forestry  Department,  i  Albany  Road; 
Queen's  College,  Aberdeen  Street;  Public 
Works'  Department,  Albert  Road;  Hong- 
kong Naval  Yard;  His  Britannic  Majesty's 
Military  Forces,  Headquarters,  Victoria 
Barracks;  U.  S.  Consulate,  9  Ice  House  Street. 

Twenty-One 


HONGKONG 


THE  NATIVE  QUARTER 

LTHOUGH  the  Chinese  pop- 
ulation of  Hongkong  out- 
numbers the  English  by 
two  or  three  score  to  one, 
the  island  has  been  so 
thoroughly  Anglicized  that 
the  visitor  sees  little  of  n 
native  manners  and  cus-/ 
toms  unless  he  deliberately  avoids  the  course 
followed  by  most  travelers  and  roams 
through  the  native  quarter  seeking  the 
strange  and  quaint  and  unusual  in  this 
island  outpost  of  the  British  Empire. 

The  European  population  of  Hongkong 
does  not  consider  it  "quite  the  thing"  to  be 
seen  in  the  Chinese  quarter  of  the  city,  and 
many  travelers  follow  their  example;  but 
the  visitor  who  wishes  to  see  something  of 
native  life  and  has  no  foolish  scruples 
against  exploring  around  a  bit,  despite 
"public  opinion,"  invariably  disregards  the 
well  meant  advice  of  his  fellow  whites  and 
is  generally  well  repaid  for  his  independ- 
ence. 

Even  in  the  native  quarter  the  influence 
of    the    civilization    of    the    West   is    seen, 

Twenty-  Two 


especially  as  regards  dress,  and  many  natives 
wear  European  clothing. 

Since  Hongkong  is  near  the  tropics  and 
the  native  dress  is  more  suitable  for  warm 
weather  than  European  clothing,  the  action 
of  many  of  the  natives  in  donning  Western 
garb  constitutes  an  appeal  obviously  to 
vanity  rather  than  comfort. 

Another  Western  "custom"  which  has 
acquired  favor  in  the  native  quarter  of 
Hongkong  is  that  of  eating  cornflakes,  and 
the  practice  has  caused  the  Chinese  as  much 
trouble  and  discomfort  as  that  of  wearing 
European  clothing.  One  writer  remarks 
that  the  first  Chinese  to  eat  cornflakes  with 
chopsticks  deserves  special  commendation 
for  patient  endeavor. 

In  discussing  clothing  and  cornflakes, 
however,  we  are  getting  away  from  our  sub- 
ject, which  is  the  native  quarter  of  Hong- 
kong, and  provided  we  are  willing  to  brave 
the  stares  of  the  white  population  of  the 
island,  let  us  leave  the  "Orient  of  the  West" 
behind  and  plunge  into  the  Orient  of  the 
East. 

"Native  quarter,"  in  the  sense  here  used, 
applies  to  the  land  population  of  Chinese 
Hongkong.     There  is  a  "native  quarter"  in 


HONGKONG 


the  harbor  and  it  is  fully  as  picturesque  as 
the  Chinese  city  of  the  land,  but  that  has 
been  touched  upon  in  a  previous  chapter  and 
only  the  tenement  district  remains  to  be 
visited  by  the  stranger  before  he  completes 
his  "slumming"  tour  of  the  island. 

Proceeding  into  the  native  quarter,  the 
visitor  finds  himself  in  a  district  as  crowded 
as  Manhattan  and  with  a  people  as  varied 
in  nationality  as  those  in  the  East  Side  of 
New  York  City.  The  predominant  race,  of 
course,  is  Chinese,  but  there  are  East  In- 
dians, Hindoos,  South  Sea  Islanders,  and 
other  transplanted  peoples  whose  presence 
heightens  the  cosmopolitan  effect  apparent 
even  in  the  poorest  sections  of  Hongkong. 

The  Chinese  land  residents  of  the  island 
live,  for  the  most  part,  in  tenements  in  the 
native  quarter,  and  rich  and  poor  (high 
caste  and  low  caste)  fill  the  streets  with  their 
bodies  and  the  air  with  their  voices,  leading 
an  existence  sometimes  placid  and  some- 
times disturbed — their  peace  of  mind  being 
generally  dependent  on  the  weather  and  the 
rice  supply. 

There  are  narrow  streets  and  dark,  foul 
alleys,  and  damp  cellars;  dingy  houses,  whose 
frames  look  as  if  they  had  lived  their  lives 


Street  in  "Chinatown" 

and  were  preparing  quietly  to  collapse; 
slant-eyed  coolies  in  breech  clouts,  toiling 
beneath  their  loads  of  merchandise  or  prov- 
ender; mandarins  in  heavily  embroidered 
robes  that  breathe  a  faint  aroma  of  oriental 
perfumes;  Chinese  merchants  in  round 
black  caps  and  satin  slippers,  chattering 
with  their  customers;  pale  yellow  students 
with  composed  features  and  oily  hair;  long 

Twenty-Three 


HONGKONG 


Indian  Street  Musician  and  Child 

strips  of  paper  hanging  in  front  of  the  shops 
and  stores  inscribed  with  characters  in  the 
Chinese  language. 

A  little  farther  on  we  see  a  stout  person 
with  pigtail  coiled  around  his  head  walk 
across  the  narrow  sidewalk,  lift  himself  into 
a  jinrikisha  and  speak  a  word  of  command  to 

Twenty-Four 


the  diminutive  human  beast  of  burden  who 
immediately  starts  up  the  crowded  street, 
hauling  the  stout  person  at  a  good  rate  of 
speed. 

In  the  dirt  of  the  street  sits  a  beggar 
with  sunken  eyes  and  talons  for  fingers, 
and  whose  wrinkled  skin  resembles  saffron- 
colored  parchment.  The  beggar  lifts  his 
voice  in  a  singsong  whine  for  alms — and  a 
"cash"  or  Chinese  coin  of  little  value  is 
gratefully  received  with  a  word  of  blessing. 
If  the  beggar  goes  without  alms  he  usually 
does  not  abuse  the  passers-by,  nor  hurl 
curses  at  them,  as  does  the  beggar  of  other 
nations,  but  instead  he  sits  dreaming  for  a 
while  and  with  a  far-away  look  in  his 
sunken  eyes,  only  coming  to  himself  with 
a  start  when  the  dull  ache  of  hunger  in  his 
stomach  reminds  him  that  life  still  remains 
in  his  ancient  body. 

On  the  other  side  of  the  street  a  school- 
girl in  silk  blouse  and  trousers,  with  mouse- 
like feet  and  shining  hair,  pilots  a  small 
person  of  five  or  six — evidently  her  brother — 
through  the  ebb  and  flow  of  traffic.  They 
jabber  excitedly  and  seem  to  find  a  great 
deal  of  interest  in  the  quaint  signs  along 
the  way.     Following  them  is  a  small  dog 


HONGKONG 


of  questionable  breed  who  stops  a  moment 
to  fight  the  cloud  of  fleas  swarming  over 
him  and  snarls  and  yelps  impatiently  at  the 
persistence  of  the  insects. 

There  is  a  great  uproar  at  the  corner. 
A  coolie  has  dropped  a  sack  of  rice  and  the 
white  kernels  lie  strewn  about  in  the  water 
and  mud,  while  the  owner  of  the  grain,  greatly 
angered  and  with  contorted  face,  is  belabor- 
ing the  coolie  with  a  club.  Two  native 
policemen  interfere  and  lead  the  angry  one 
and  the  coolie  away.  The  angry  one  is 
expostulating  in  his  singsong  voice,  while  the 
coolie  is  busily  engaged  in  rubbing  his  hurts. 

Upon  turning  a  corner  the  odor  of  fish 
fills  the  nostrils  and  there,  in  long  rows  of 
stalls,  are  piled  thousands  of  mackerel, 
trout,  perch,  and  other  specimens  of  the 
innumerable  finny  tribes  which  swarm  in 
the  waters  around  Hongkong.  Some  of 
the  fish  are  fresh,  but  life  in  some  of  them, 
undoubtedly,  has  been  extinct  a  long  time. 
Both  varieties  are  eagerly  purchased  by  the 
Chinese  who  eat  them  with  rice.  The  larger 
fish  are  sought  by  the  wealthy  classes,  while 
tiny  fish  no  larger  than  a  small  coin  are 
bought  by  the  poorest  of  the  poor  who  con- 
sider them  quite  delectable.     Field  rats  are 


*> 


also  eaten  by  the  natives,  and  this  practice 
has  given  rise  to  the  belief  that  Chinese  are 
great  eaters  of  common  gray  rats.  Such  a 
belief  is  really  a  libel  on  the  Chinese — for  the 
gray  rats  are  as  different  from  the  field  rats 
of  China  as  the  dogfish  is  from  the  succulent 
rainbow  trout — and  a  respectable  Chinaman 
would  no  sooner  think  of  eating  a  common 
gray  rat  than  an  American  would  think  of 
doing  likewise. 

Twenty-Five 


HONGKONG 


Americans  have  little  difficulty  in  finding 
their  way  around  the  native  quarter  of 
Hongkong,  for  most  of  the  Chinese  have  a 
smattering  of  English  and  are  usually  very 
willing  to  volunteer  information.  When 
the  visitor  is  unable  to  make  himself  under- 
stood by  using  the  king's  English  he  may 
succeed  by  speaking  pidgin  English.  "Pid- 
gin" is  the  Chinese  pronunciation  of  "busi- 
ness," and  the  dialect  grew  out  of  the  efforts 
of  traders  and  natives  to  understand  each 
other.  "Piecee"  for  "article,"  "chop-chop" 
for  "get  a  move  on,"  "savey"  for  "under- 
stand," and  the  Navy  and  Army  term, 
"chow,"  are  examples  of  the  pidgin  dialect. 

POPPIES  AND  PIPES 

PIUM  smoking  is  supposed 
to  have  decreased  in  Hong- 
kong since  the  British  took 
the  island  over,  and  doubt- 
less much  has  been  done 
to  wipe  out  the  traffic  in 
the  dried  juice  of  the 
poppy,  but  the  vice  has 
taken  such  a  strong  hold  on  the  natives  that 
efforts  to  cure  them  of  the  opium  habit  have 

Twenty-Six 


not  been  entirely  successful  and  "poppies 
and  pipes"  are  still  in  favor  with  many  of 
the  natives  of  Hongkong. 

Some  opium  is  imported  by  Hongkong 
but  the  greater  portion  of  the  drug  consumed 
by  the  natives  is  prepared  from  poppies 
grown  on  the  island,  and  fields  on  fields  of 
the  scarlet  flowers  growing  in  the  island 
districts  stand  as  places  of  beauty  to  the 
traveler,  unless  perchance  he  calls  to  mind 
the  black  pipes,  the  sallow  faces  and 
the  emaciated  bodies  of  the  smokers  of 
opium  in  the  tenement  districts  of  Victoria. 

The  poppy  plant  has  been  known  in 
China  for  twelve  centuries;  and  its  product, 
opium,  has  been  used  both  wisely  as  a  medi- 
cine and  not  well  as  a  narcotic  for  seven 
centuries.  The  juice  is  extracted  from  the 
green  seed  pods  of  the  poppy  as  soon  as  the 
flower  appears  which  is  dried  and  made  into 
little  pellets,  brownish  red  in  color.  The 
opium  is  then  ready  for  use. 

Opium  was  introduced  into  China  by 
Arabs  during  the  thirteenth  centurv  and  was 
at  first  used  as  a  medicine.  By  the  seven- 
teenth centurv,  however,  the  people  had 
formed  the  habit  of  smoking  opium  and  early 

the  eighteenth  centurv  the  Government 


HONGKONG 


attempted  to  put  an  end  to  its  use  by  for- 
bidding its  importation.  Despite  the  official 
ban  the  use  of  opium  continued  and  more 
than  a  century  later  another  effort  was 
made  to  check  the  vice.  A  shipload  of 
opium  belonging  to  the  English  and  worth,  in 
American  money,  about  ten  million  dollars 
was  destroyed  by  the  Chinese,  and  to  pun- 
ish the  Government  for  what  was  considered 
overzealousness,  the  British  began  the 
"Opium  War"  which  continued  from  1840 
to  1842;  and  at  the  conclusion  of  hostilities 
the  Chinese  agreed  to  permit  the  importa- 
tion of  opium  into  China. 

The  practice  of  opium  smoking  spread 
so  rapidly  that  poppies  instead  of  rice  were 
grown  in  many  sections  of  China  and  fam- 
ines descended  upon  the  ancient  empire. 
A  great  deal  of  money  was  also  taken  out 
of  the  country  to  pay  for  opium  imported 
from  India.  In  1906  the  use  of  opium  was 
forbidden  in  the  Chinese  schools  and  in  the 
army,  and  all  those  who  used  the  drug  were 
ordered  to  cure  themselves  of  the  habit  and 
the  people  were  also  forbidden  to  grow  pop- 
pies for  opium-making  purposes. 

In  1 9 16  the  Chinese  Government  finally 
passed  a  law  putting  an  end  to  all  traffic  in 


%m    .w             **!&«  TWlP  iffi?' 

W.JE5      HhMPe^^i  'i^j^^^lW  H'nfi 

E$fl 

*  ^^^1 

m 

Botanical  Gardens 

opium,  and  addicts  were  given  ten  years  in 
which  to  readjust  their  habits  in  accordance 
with  the  law. 

Hongkong  is  not  included  in  the  scope 
of  the  anti-opium  law  of  the  Chinese  Gov- 
ernment and  the  traffic  still  continues  on 
the  island,    although  the   British,    realizing 

Twenty-Seven 


HONGKONG 


Chinese  Girls — Botanical  Gardens 

the  harm  wrought  by  use  of  the  drug,  are 
endeavoring  to  help  the  natives  break  them- 
selves of  the  opium  habit. 

Opium  smoking  is  practiced  more  gen- 
erally in  the  native  quarter  of  Hongkong 
than  in  other  districts  and  the  traveler  who 
tours  the  tenement  districts  can  visit  the 
so-called  "dens  of  iniquity"  where  the  odor 

Twenty-Eight 


of  opium  taints  the  air  and  where  men  give 
themselves  up  to  the  influence  of  the  drug, 
dreaming  fantastic  dreams  when  under  its 
spell  and  suffering  the  tortures  of  the 
damned  when  deprived  of  the  "dried  juice 
of  the  scarlet  poppy." 

THE  CENTURY  PLANT 

MONO  the  natural  curi- 
osities in  the  Botanical 
Gardens  opposite  the  Gov- 
ernment House  on  Upper 
Albert  Road  is  the  century 
plant,  or  agave,  which 
grows  wild  in  many  parts 
of  China. 

The  century  plant  sometimes  reaches  a 
height  of  20  feet  in  Hongkong,  and  not  in- 
frequently puts  out  blossoms  contrary  to  the 
popular  superstition  that  flowers  bloom  on  a 
century  plant  only  once  in  every  hundred 
years. 

The  Mexican  drinks,  "pulque"  and 
"mescal,"  are  made  from  several  varieties  of 
the  century  plant;  the  leaves  are  used  as 
fodder  and  yield  a  fiber  used  in  the  manufac- 
ture of  thread,  cord,  and  rope.  A  substi- 
tute for  soap  is  often  made  from  the  leaves 


HONGKONG 


Lgave  Hedg 


Botanical  Gardens 


of  the  century  plant,  and  the  stalks  have 
been  sliced  into  strips,  dried,  and  used  as 
razor  strops,  although  century  plant  razor 
strops  can  hardly  be  compared  to  the  leather 
kind. 

The   papyrus,   from    which   the   ancient 
Egyptians  manufactured  their  writing  paper, 


is  also  found  in  the  Botanical  Gardens  and  is 
chiefly  distinguished  by  its  long,  reedy  stems 
from  4  to  1 6  feet  in  length  and  a  large 
brownish,  bristly  flower  at  the  top.  The 
fiber  of  the  papyrus  is  used  in  making 
sandals,  mats,  rope,  coarse  garments,  and 
light  sailcloth. 

There  are  many  other  varieties  of  Chinese 
plants  and  trees,  and  beds  of  chrysanthe- 
mums and  roses,  in  the  Botanical  Gardens, 
all  of  which  thrive  in  the  subtropical  climate 
of  this  distant  possession  of  the  British 
Empire. 

SEATS  OF  LEARNING 

HE     prospective     visitor     in 
Hongkong  who  scans  these 
pages  should  not  imagine 
for  a  moment  that  because 
opium  is  used  here  to  some 
extent,  and  because  a  large 
portion  of  the  native  popu- 
lation has  yet  to  learn  the 
ways  of  the  civilization  of  the  Occident,  that 
the  island  is  a  center  of  vice  nor  even  a 
purely  typical  example  of  the  oriental  world. 
Indeed,    Hongkong    is    both    oriental    and 
occidental — Chinese  and  European — and  its 

'/'..<  nty-Nine 


HONGKONG 


Protestant  Cemetery — Wong  Nei  Chung  Valley 

people  are  no  more  inclined  to  wander  into  the 
questionable  by-ways  of  life  than  the  people 
of  other  occidental  and  oriental  cities.  We 
have  read  of  the  opium  traffic  in  Hongkong 
and  now  comes  something  that  is  helping  to 
eradicate  that  which  is  vicious — or  merely 
ignorant — on  the  island  and  bringing  about 

Thirty 


a  better  order  of  things,  thanks  to  the 
praiseworthy  efforts  of  the  British.  And 
that  "something"  is  education. 

One  of  the  leading  institutions  of  higher 
learning  in  the  Orient  is  Hongkong  Univer- 
sity, founded  in  1910,  and  modeled  after  the 
universities  of  Manchester,  Birmingham, 
Bristol,  and  London.  The  university  offers 
to  the  Chinese  a  knowledge  of  Western 
science,  and  thousands  of  natives  have 
visited  the  workshops  and  laboratories  and, 
in  consequence,  have  initiated  electric  light- 
ing projects  and  plans  for  using  machinery. 

Queen's  College,  Staunton  and  Aberdeen 
Streets,  is  another  institution  of  high  rank 
in  Hongkong  and  serves  in  a  way  as  a  pre- 
paratory school  since  its  graduates  are  eligi- 
ble for  the  University  of  Hongkong. 

Hongkong  is  said  to  have  less  illiteracy 
than  any  other  city  in  China  and  credit  for 
this  fact  is  given  to  the  mission  schools,  as 
well  as  to  the  schools  under  Government 
supervision — which  include  not  only  the 
university  and  college,  but  a  thorough  sys- 
tem of  elementary  classes. 

Taoism,  Confucianism,  and  Buddhism 
are  the  prevailing  religions  among  the 
natives   of    Hongkong,    although    many    of 


HONGKONG 


them  have  been  converted  to  Christianity 
by  the  American  and  European  missionaries 
on  the  island.  The  Chinese  joss  houses  in 
Victoria  add  a  bit  of  "local  color"  to  the 
principal  districts  and  there  are  also  several 
Christian  churches.  Among  the  occidental 
places  of  worship  are  the  following:  St. 
John's  Church  (Roman  Catholic),  Garden 
Road;  St.  John's  Cathedral  (Episcopal), 
Garden  Road  near  the  Parade  Grounds; 
the  Roman  Catholic  Cathedral,  Caine  Road 
near  the  center  of  the  city;  and  St.  Peter's 
(built  especially  for  sailors),  on  the  corner 
of  Des  Yaux  Road  and  Western  Street. 
Union  Church,  Kennedy  Road,  is  the  largest 
Protestant  church  in  the  city,  being  main- 
tained by  several  denominations,  including 
Congregationalists,  Presbyterians,  Metho- 
dists, Baptists,  and  others.  Hongkong  also 
has  a  Jewish  synagogue. 

The  Hongkong  Y.  M.  C.  A.,  on  Bridges 
Street,  occupies  the  entire  block  from  Ladder 
Street  to  Tank  Lane,  and  is  a  modern,  well- 
equipped  building  modeled  after  the  "Y" 
buildings  in  the  United  States.  The  facili- 
ties include  a  gymnasium  and  swimming 
pool  and  outdoor  courts  for  volley  ball  and 
basket  ball. 


Roman  Catholic  Cathedral 

Among  the  clubs  listed  in  Rosenstock's 
directory  for  1918  are  the  following:  Hong- 
kong Corinthian  Yacht  Club,  Praya  East, 
opposite  No.  2  Police  Station;  The  Catholic 
Union  (a  club  for  young  men),  Roman  Cath- 
olic Compound,  Glenealy;  Civil  Service 
Cricket  Club;  Club  Lusitano,  20  Shelley 
Street;  Craigengower  Cricket  Club,  Wong  Nei 
Chong,  Recreation  Ground;  Hongkong  Club, 
Chater  and   Connaught    Roads;   Hongkong 

Thirty-One 


HONGKONG 


1 

,  • 

»     -J^j  "^sfiE? 

'':■ 

" 

* 

*, 

i  <-* 

Bovasta  Hotel  and  Praya  Grande — Macao 

Cricket  Club,  grounds  at  Cricket  Pavilion; 
Hongkong  Cricket  League,  144  Des  Vaux 
Road;  Hongkong  Jockey  Club,  Chater  Road; 
Hongkong  Polo  Club,  Causeway  Bay;  Kow- 
loon  Bowling  Green  Club,  Kings  Park, 
Kowloon;  Kowloon  Cricket  Club,  Kings 
Park,  Kowloon;  Peak  Club,  Mount  Gough 
Road;  Royal  Hongkong  Golf  Club,  Happy 

Thirty-Two 


Valley;  Deepwater  Bay,  9  holes;  Fanling, 
18  holes;  Royal  Hongkong  Yacht  Club, 
North  Point;  United  Sendee  Recreation 
Club  (rowing,  swimming,  and  boxing),  cor- 
ner Murray  Road  and  Connaught  Road. 

CHINESE  MOVIE  FANS 

HE  "movies"  have  invaded 
Hongkong  and  furnish  en- 
tertainment for  thousands 
of  foreign  residents  of  the 
island,  and  the  natives 
have  become  as  devoted  to 
the  "silver  screen"  as  the 
people  of  the  United  States 
and  European  countries.  The  Chinese  pre- 
fer comedies  to  tragedies  and  as  a  result 
Chaplin  and  Arbuckle  are  great  favorites 
among  the  natives  in  Victoria.  There  are 
few  theaters  other  than  moving  picture  in 
Hongkong,  because  English  theatrical  com- 
panies seldom  visit  the  island.  Quaint 
theatrical  productions  are  staged  by  the 
natives  and  these  plays  invariably  arouse 
interest  among  those  strangers  who  seldom 
have  an  opportunity  to  witness  plays  in 
other  than  their  own  tongue.     The  Theater 


HONGKONG 


Roval  at  Queen's  Road  Central  is  one  of  the 
principal  playhouses  in  Hongkong. 

Happv  Valley  is  the  most  popular  out- 
door recreation  center  in  Hongkong,  a,nd  on 
gala  days  many  thousands  of  people  travel 
to  the  valley  where  they  view  the  horse  races 
and  cricket,  football,  or  tennis  matches. 
Many  of  the  island  clubs  have  their  head- 
quarters in  Happy  Valley,  and  sportsmen 
generally  make  it  a  point  to  visit  the  recrea- 
tion center  during  their  stay  in  Hongkong. 

ON  VICTORIA  PEAK 

ICTORIA  Peak,  which  stands 
about  2,000  feet  above  sea 
level,  is  reached  by  road 
and  cable  railway  and  is 
another  popular  place  of 
interest  on  the  island  of 
Hongkong.  The  lower  sta- 
tion of  the  Peak  tram,  or 
railway,  is  on  Garden  Road  just  above  the 
Episcopal  Cathedral,  and  the  upper  station 
is  located  at  the  Peak  Hotel. 

While  climbing  the  slopes  of  the  Peak 
from  the  city  the  traveler  sees  the  villas  of 
European  and  American  residents  peeping 
from  masses  of  trees  surrounded  by  flower 


Br*     '*" 

SI 

, 

"^*kv™ 

^.T"  ' 

. 

HP    ' 

f 

^■IhI 

I 

hL_   — ^ 

Incline  Railway  up  the  Peak 

gardens,  and  there  are  also  tourist  hotels, 
parks,  and  gardens. 

The  tram  does  not  go  the  entire  distance 
to  the  Peak  but  stops  at  the  Peak  Hotel, 
and  the  passengers  take  sedan  chairs  or  jin- 
rikishas,  or  walk  the  remaining  distance  to 
the  top  of  the  hill.  From  the  elevation  the 
visitor  sees  the  city  and  harbor  spread  out 
before  him  and  in  the  distance  the  haze 
which  marks  the  coast  of  China. 

Thirty-Three 


HONGKONG 


Summit  of  Victoria  Peak 

Walking  down  from  the  Peak  is  a  favorite 
afternoon  pastime,  the  trip  taking  about  an 
hour's  time.  The  sudden  change  from  sea 
level  to  the  top  of  the  peak  often  nauseates 
those  who  are  not  acclimated,  and  the  possi- 
bility of  paying  such  a  price  should  be  taken 
into  consideration  before  the  trip  is  begun. 

Hongkong  is  covered  by  rugged  hills  and 
small  valleys,  through  which  a  number  of 

Thirty-Four 


streams  flow  over  rocky  beds,  and  the 
scenic  splendor  of  many  parts  of  the  island 
is  a  sufficient  recommendation  for  a  tour 
outside  the  city. 

Although  automobiles  are  seldom  seen  in 
Victoria,  because  of  the  shelf-and-stair 
streets,  the  machines  are  often  used  in  tour- 
ing the  island  and  one  of  the  most  popular 
motor  routes  follows  the  base  of  the  hills 
through  Aberdeen  to  Repulse  Bay.  The  own- 
ers of  the  Hongkong  Hotel  have  built  a  new 
hotel  at  Repulse  Bay  and  there  is  also  a  swim- 
ming beach.  The  road  proceeding  beyond 
Repulse  Bay  enables  the  traveler  to  complete 
a  circuit  of  the  island.  The  rates  for  auto- 
mobile hire  range  from  $6  to  $10  an  hour. 

On  another  tour  to  Fanling,  through  the 
"new  territory,"  the  traveler  gets  a  glimpse 
of  Chinese  village  life  as  well  as  a  view  of  the 
sea  and  shore.  The  dockyards,  sugar  refinery, 
and  dairy  farm  are  among  the  principal 
places   of   interest  in  and  around   Fanling. 

A  third  tour  recommended  by  travelers 
is  over  the  Jubilee  Road  to  Aberdeen.  The 
road  passes  through  Pokfolum,  where  the 
publishing  plant  of  the  French  mission  is 
located.  This  plant  is  said  to  have  the 
largest    collection    of    type    in    the    world, 


HONGKONG 


including  metal  for  printing  in  every 
oriental  language.  There  is  also  a  large 
sanitarium  at  Pokfolum. 

Aberdeen  is  a  quaint  fishing  village  and 
the  scene  of  the  annual  Dragon  Boat  races, 
which  arouse  as  much  interest  among  the 
natives  as  the  Yale-Harvard  races  do  in 
the  United  States  or  the  Oxford-Cambridge 
races  in  England. 

Many  of  the  natives  in  Aberdeen  own 
cormorants  trained  to  fish  in  the  waters 
around  the  village.  A  piece  of  hemp  string 
is  tied  around  the  neck  of  the  bird  so  that 
it  can  not  swallow  its  catch  and  thereupon 
obediently  swims  back  to  its  master's  boat 
and  delivers  up  the  fish. 

A  TRIP  TO  KOWLOON 

TfjHE  peninsula  of  Kowloon, 
or  Laolung,  is  across  the 
bay  from  Hongkong,  and 
the  trip  can  be  made  in 
2  hours  by  ferry  boats, 
which  leave  Victoria  every 
i  o  minutes.  The  old  walled 
city  of  Kowloon  is  the 
main  attraction  on  the  peninsula  and  the 
traveler   can   there   see   the   Chinese   under 


Kowloon  Seen  from  Bowen  Road — Hongkong 

circumstances  a  bit   more   typical    than    in 
Hongkong. 

Macao  lies  across  the  bay,  35  miles  west 
of  Kowloon,  and  in  this  Portuguese-Chinese 
city  the  stranger  finds  an  oriental  Monte 
Carlo  unlike  any  other  city  in  the  Far  East. 
Its  bright  pink,  blue,  and  yellow  plaster 
buildings    as    seen    from    the    water  front 

Thirty-Five 


HONGKONG 


present  a  gay  appearance ;  the  streets  swarm 
with  Chinese;  the  church  and  convent  bells 
ring  through  every  hour  of  the  day;  and, 
in  strange  contrast  to  the  sound  of  the  bells, 
the  click  of  roulette  wheels  and  the  rattle 
of  dice  are  heard  in  the  gambling  houses 
that  fill  the  streets  and  alleys. 

The  Portuguese  settled  in  Macao  nearly 
five  centuries  ago  and  intermarried  with  the 
Chinese  to  such  an  extent  that  few  Portu- 
guese of  pure  blood  remain  on  the  peninsula. 
The  settlers  planned  to  make  Macao  a 
greater  gambling  place  than  Monte  Carlo, 
and  while  they  have  not  definitely  succeeded 
in  doing  so,  they  have  managed  to  give 
Macao  a  reputation  for  being  quite  a  resort 
among  those  who  are  fond  of  bowing  before 
the  fickle  Goddess  of  Chance. 

Most  of  the  Chinese  in  Macao  are  invet- 
erate gamblers  and  seem  to  be  fond  of  play- 
ing everything  except  the  American  game 
of  poker.  When  the  natives  win  they 
stake  their  winnings  in  an  effort  to  obtain 
more.  And  they  are  generally  plucky 
losers,  sometimes  betting  the  clothes  on 
their  backs  to  retrieve  their  fortunes  after 
they  have  lost  the  last  cent  of  their  money. 
The  betting  sometimes  becomes  more  or  less, 

Thirty-Six 


gruesome.  For  example,  the  story  is  told  that 
the  Chinese  sometimes  bet  their  fingers  and, 
if  they  lose,  they  promptly  pay  the  wager. 

Two  steamers  leave  Hongkong  for  Macao 
every  day,  except  Sunday.  The  round  trip 
costs  about  $3.50  and  a  one-way  passage 
requires  about  three  hours'  time. 

Information  regarding  excursions  may 
be  obtained  at  Cook's  Tourist  Agency  on 
Des  Vaux  Road  in  Hongkong  or  at  the 
Chinese  Y.  M.  C.  A.  on  Bridges  Street  in 
the  eastern  part  of  the  city.  One  of  the 
best  excursions  is  by  sedan  chair  over  Bowen 
Road  to  the  reservoir  at  Tytam,  or  Taitam, 
by  way  of  the  Wong  Nei  Chung  Gap. 

MONEY  AND  POSTAGE 

ONGKONG  has  its  own 
currency,  and  besides  the 
official  money,  the  old  Mex- 
ican or  Spanish  dollar  is 
still  accepted  on  the  island. 
It  is  difficult  to  quote  ex- 
change rates  on  money  in 
China  inasmuch  as  values 
are  constantly  shifting.  As  an  illustration 
of  the  fluctuations  in  exchange  rates,  the 


HONGKONG 


Statesman's  Year  Book  for  191 9  gives  the 
following  values  by  years  for  the  Hongkong 
dollar:  1913,  2s.;  1914,  io><s.  4c!.;  1915, 
is.  9^d. ;     1916,  2s.  i/^d. ;    1917,  2s.  7%&. 

The  Hongkong  coins  consist  of  the  fol- 
lowing: One  dollar  (Mexican  $1.00);  one 
dollar  (Hongkong  currency  $1.00);  half- 
dollar;  20-cent  piece;  10-cent  piece;  5-cent 
piece,  and  i-cent  piece.  The  foreign  banks 
in  Hongkong  issue  bank  notes  of  various 
denominations  which  are  also  accepted  as 
legal  tender. 

Chinese  currency  is  of  three  kinds — the 
"cash,"  the  dollar,  and  the  tael.  The 
"cash"  is  a  small  bronze  coin,  pierced  in 
the  center,  and  worth  about  one-tenth  of 
an  American  cent.  The  dollar  is  the  official 
circulating  medium  of  China  and  contains 
0.779  of  an  ounce  of  fine  silver.  The  word 
"dollar"  in  Hongkong  is  commonly  applied 
to  various  currency  units  originally  based 
on  the  Mexican  dollar. 

The  national  currency  includes  silver 
20-cent  and  10-cent  pieces  and  bronze  i-cent 
pieces,  the  value  of  which  fluctuates  inde- 
pendently of  the  dollar  of  which  they  are 
nominally  fractions.  The  Chinese  Govern- 
ment does  not  issue  paper  money  but  certain 


Chinese  banks  issue  bank  notes,  which, 
shortly  after  the  World  War,  were  heavily 
discounted.  Foreign  exchange  banks  issue 
notes  that  circulate  at  par  in  Hongkong. 
Since  the  war  silver  has  been  abnormally 
high  and  gold  correspondingly  cheap.  The 
tael,  third  item  on  the  Chinese  currency,  is 
not  a  coin  but  only  a  unit  of  weight. 

The  Hongkong  Post  Office  is  almost 
opposite  Cook's  Tourist  Agency,  Des  Vaux 
Road.  Postage  on  letters  from  Hongkong 
to  the  United  States  is  5  cents.  The  parcel- 
post  rate  is  1 2  cents  a  pound  straight,  and  the 
charge  for  money  orders  is  10  cents  for  $10. 

THE  TYPHOON  AREA 

ONGKONG  is  in  the  path  of 
the  roaring  typhoons,  or  in 
Chinese  "t'ai  f  ung  "  or  great 
wind, and  considerable  dam- 
age has  been  done  to  the 
water  front  and  shipping  1  in 
several  occasions.     Official 
warnings  are  now  sent  out 
by  the  weather  bureaus  when  a  typhoon  is  ex- 
pected and  much  life  and  property  are  thereby 
saved.     Occasionally,  however,   a  typhoon 
comes  along   without  warning   and    leaves 

Thirty-Seven 


ma 


HONGKONG 


a  trail  of  dead  and  injured,  shattered  build 
ings,  ruined   fields,  orchards,  and  stretches 
of  devastated  forest  land. 

The  temperature  in  Hongkong  seldom 
reaches  95  degrees,  but  the  humidity  is  ex- 
cessive, and  both  foreign  residents  and 
natives,  dress  for  the  weather  in  lightweight 
clothing.  Waterproof  coats  are  a  necessary 
part  of  the  Westerner's  wardrobe,  and  dur- 
ing the  rainy  season  the  city  is  so  damp  that 
clothing  is  wet  in  the  morning  and  still  wet 
at  night  after  being  worn  through  the  dav. 
The  visitor  takes  off  his  shoes  at  night  and 
in  the  morning  they  are  covered  with  mil- 
dew. The  merchants  usually  wrap  their 
wares  in  oiled  paper  because  the  dampness 
will  ruin  goods  if  they  are  left  in  the  open 
air  for  more  than  a  day  or  two. 

Strangers  wishingto  buy  curios  in  Hong- 
kong should  visit  the  curio  shops  along  the 
principal  streets.  It  is  hardly  necessary  to 
locate  any  of  the  shops  for  the  reader,  for 
they  are  more  numerous  in  Hongkong  than 
in  any  other  oriental  port— and  that  is  sav- 
ing a  great  deal — and  the  traveler  needs  only 
to  proceed  a  short  distance  on  any  street  in 
Hongkong  to  find  enough  curios  to  satisfy 
the  most  avid  souvenir  hunter. 

Thirty-Eight 


Goods  offered  for  sale  in  Hongkong  are 
usually  price-marked  and  the  custom  of 
haggling,  so  dear  to  the  hearts  of  a  majority 
of  the  shop  keepers  in  the  Orient,  is  not  prac- 
ticed to  a  very  great  extent — in  Victoria  at 
any  rate.  Probably  the  most  popular 
souvenir  is  lace  manufactured  in  the  city 
of  Swatow.  There  are  many  designs  of  the 
lace  and  they  are  attractive  as  a  rule.  The 
prices  are  generally  reasonable. 

When  the  traveler  ends  his  visit  in  Hong- 
kong he  should  not  consider  that  he  has  seen 
a  typically  Chinese  port  or  city  for  Hong- 
kong is  no  more  typical  of  China  than  the 
Panama  Canal  Zone  is  typical  of  the  Re- 
public of  Panama,  and  perhaps  not  as  much 
so.  Hongkong,  like  so  many  other  cities 
of  the  Orient  where  the  white  man  has  taken 
up  his  "burden,"  is  a  combination  of  East 
and  West — the  languor  of  the  Orient  and  the 
x  progressiveness  of  the  Occident  being  min- 
''  gled — and  the  Western  civilization  having 
only  half  accomplished  its  ultimate  purpose 
— that  of  helping  the  yellow  man  and  the 
brown  man  and  the  black  man  to  lead  a 
more  happy  and  useful  existence.  Such  is 
Hongkong,  island  outpost  of  the  British 
Empire. 

WASHINGTON  :  GOVERNMENT  PRINTING  OFFICE  :  1920 


HONGKONG 


MEMORANDUM 

These  blank  pages  should  be  used  to  note  items  of  interest  to  which  you  will  want  to  refer 


Thirty-Nine 


HONGKONG 


MEMORANDUM 


Fortu 


